2013年11月28日星期四

As a result he has never given a green

However, Cameron has always been jumpy about highlighting these differences, acutely aware of the history of Downing Street battles, including Blair-Brown. As a result, he has never given a green keynote speech as prime minister and has never rebutted his own party's climate science deniers. This may be prudent, but it is not brave.The chancellor, unlike the environment secretary, Owen Paterson, says he believes in climate science. His objections to green policies partly reflect lobbying from companies that use lots of energy, cheap Stainless Steel Whisky Stonespartly stem from his departmental concern to curb government activity of any sort, and partly reflect Osborne's desire to titivate an ageing party membership hostile to any change and any tax. Ironically, Osborne's stance has increased energy costs by raising the risks and costs of green investment.Despite these noises off, the government has an impressive list of green achievements: the first Energy Act on energy-saving; electricity market reform legislation; the Green Investment Bank. Renewables increased sharply to 11% of electricity in 2012. In last week's review, the Green Alliance and other green NGOs criticised a lack of action on the natural environment but they could not fault what the government had done on the big issue of climate change.cheap Ceramic Whisky Stones manufacturersCameron's next big test is the government's political response to Ed Miliband's promise to freeze energy bills. The debate in the "cabinet quad", which is preparing next week's autumn statement, will be around shifting some of the consumer levies the "green crap" amounting to 112 a year off energy bills. The chancellor is too embarrassed to reopen his own green tax grab, the carbon price floor. Nick Clegg has put renewables off limits, and has also insisted that there is no cut in the efforts to help the fuel poor (though it may be paid instead from general taxation).The most controversial of the "crap" is the Energy Company Obligation the ECO whose energy-saving element costs 760m a year. Insisting energy companies save energy is as difficult as persuading pubs to sell less beer. It is no surprise that British Gas has been lobbying to halve the cost the big six make more money by selling more energy. But the Treasury is lined up with the big six to cut ECO. So we come to the craziness of the Treasury position.

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